Workers Party Representative Tony Dorrian Demands support from Belfast City Council for 2 Royal Avenue.
Mr Dorrian says not only the council but the Northern Ireland administration should give all the support necessary to preserve and enhance the vital community and cultural hub at 2 Royal Avenue. This venue provides a free, creative space in the heart of the city centre, an indoor space to relax and socialise, hold meeting or work for the day. The venue was designed as an accessible and inclusive building for people of all ages and abilities and is free. Number 2 Royal Avenue opened to the public after Belfast City Council bought the listed building in 2021.
Mr Dorrian says it provides a friendly and welcoming community oriented, creative environment where young and old can enjoy a calm space in a busy city centre. There is no entry fee and many events are free of charge. Since opening its doors, it has provided an open inclusive environment where everyone is welcome, regardless of background, income, or identity and has hosted artists, musicians, community groups, young people, families, and visitors from across the city and beyond.
Despite the many advantages this facility as a shared vital space offers to citizens, it is under threat. The proposal to close or repurpose this space represents more than a lose of venue. Mr Dorrian says it risks dismantling a crucial civic development. Which provides enormous cultural, social, and economic value and a shared inclusive public space as a community hub for creativity and collective wellbeing. It also risks a further blow to efforts to revitalise Belfast city centre and create a safe and welcoming urban environment.
Belfast belongs to the people. It should be more than a marketplace The Workers Party believes that public places must serve the public good. The continuation of this hub is essential to sustaining a city centre that is welcoming, creative, and reflective of the diverse communities that make Belfast what it is. It must be protected and preserved.
The building must be a space owned by the community for the community, prioritising collective endeavour over competition, access over profit and solidarity over individualism. In a city where too many decisions are made behind closed doors, this hub must represent a democratic public space where working people can gather, organise, learn and build collective power.
At a time of rising inequality, privatisation, exploitation and division, The Workers Party demands a different future: one where people come before profit, where social solidarity is valued, and where all workers, families, the marginalised and young and old have the right to belong and participate.